Repel evil

Repel evil 

With that which is better.

Surah Fussilat 41:34

With this verse Allah raised the bar of the standard of behaviour and response expected from a Muslim when evil is done to him or her. It clearly is not the "an eye for an eye" response but to do what is better.

Imagine if Muslims took this approach to every evil done to them whether at a local level or an international level. This approach urges the one who is wronged to act and not to seek revenge or to get even although he or she is within their rights to do so. But Allah says to do what is better.

The best example from the life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) is when the leader of the hypocrites Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salul died, his son, who was a pious Muslim, came and requested for the Prophet's shirt in order to shroud him and for the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to lead the funeral prayer asking Allah to forgive him. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) agreed to all these things. Despite the fact that he was an enemy of Islam and had done enormous damage to Muslims during his life. This act of repelling evil with that which is better led to a thousand people accepting Islam from his tribe. 

Even when we are wronged Allah urges us to action.